Sheikh Ahmed says Dubai and UAE economy 'will be back' post COVID-19

Sheikh Ahmed credited the UAE’s infrastructure, the airlines and hotels for giving us a ‘jump start’…

With the global Coronavirus pandemic having a huge impact on the world’s economy, many people might be struggling to see what the future looks like post COVID-19.

In an interview with The National, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman of the Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee has said that the Dubai and UAE economy ‘will be back’, once COVID-19 clears up.

Sheikh Ahmed said, however, that for the UAE to achieve an accelerated comeback, ‘the world must synchronise its efforts to bring about recovery’. He credited the UAE’s infrastructure, the airlines and hotels for giving us a ‘jump start’.

Sheikh Ahmed added that, “The government’s approach, its quick response, the agility of the healthcare services, co-ordinating with the private sector, has been very positive. The message that you will be attended to – this all means that you are geared because of the facilities that you have.”

As a result of the pandemic, air travel has come to a standstill and many jobs around the world have been affected. Major multi-billion dollar events such as Expo 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics have been cancelled in light of the pandemic.

Regarding Dubai’s tourism, which accounts for a significant part of its gross domestic product, and whether it could once again reach a mark of 20 million tourists per year, Sheikh Ahmed, who is also president of Dubai Civil Aviation and chairman and chief executive of Emirates airline and Group, said that he is optimistic but pointed out that a number of variables are at play.

He said, “You cannot do it yourself; the world and countries need to open up to each other. When everybody opens up, and this disease clears up, then I think things will be back. In Europe now, they started to open up slowly, and they’re paying close attention to see what’s going to happen, and others have followed.”

Image: Getty